The supply of flour at Rs40/kg has started in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in line with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s initiative of subsidising the commodity for the people of the province, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Wednesday.

“The provision of flour at a subdisied rates would be ensured at the premier’s signature ‘Shehbaz Speed’,” said the government spokesperson.

She said that one hundred mobile stores have been setup to facilitate consumers and expedite the process.

The province had been divided into two zones vis-à-vis Abbottabad and Peshawar for this purpose. This systematic supply of flour at a discounted price would be gradually extended to the entire Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, she assured.

The minister said that so far more than 50,000 bags of flour have been sold in Abbottabad and Peshawar zones in line with PM Shehbaz’s initiative. Flour at a discounted price was being provided through separate mobile stores in Abbottabad and Peshawar zones, she added.

She said that in Abbottabad alone, 22,070 flour bags at the discounted price of Rs40 per kg were sold over the last two days. Meanwhile, more than 23,400 bags were sold to the people in the Peshawar zone during the same time.

The minister said that the number of mobile stores would be increased to 200 by June 13, so that more people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa could benefit from the Rs40 per kg flour.

In addition to this, temporary flour selling points in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would also be operational by June 9, and by June 17 they would increase to 500, to further facilitate the process, she added.

The minister said, in line with the vision and promise by PM Shehbaz, there would be more than 2000 selling points in KP province at 993 locations where people would be able to buy flour at a discounted price.

PTV Film Division

Earlier, the information minister inaugurated the PTV Film Division with the stated objective to give exposure to youth.

“The government is taking all possible measures for the revival of the film industry,” the information minister said while addressing the inauguration ceremony of the PTV Film Division.

The minister also inaugurated the Pakflix project to make PTV dramas and other content in archives available online for the benefit of viewers, especially those living abroad.

“In 2017, work had been started on PTV Film Division. In 2018, with the approval of the Cabinet, Pakistan’s first film policy was launched,” she said. She said that veteran actor Jamal Shah, who served as the head of the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, formulated the first culture policy of Pakistan at that time.

“In 2018, we not only formulated the film policy but for the first time we engaged the film and culture sector in it,” she said.

For the first time in 2018, film was given the status of the industry, the information minister said. The policy included tax-related incentives for the film industry and infrastructure incentives for cinemas, but unfortunately, it could not be implemented in its letter and spirit, she continued.

She said that the incumbent government wants to provide a single platform where all stakeholders come together to resolve the problems of the industry.

Aurangzeb said technology had become advanced, cinematography also better but there was a shortage of content.

Appreciating the role of PTV, she said it had maintained its reputation till date due to its strong foundations, integrity and credibility.

Aurangzeb said that the PTV’s mandate was to formulate national narratives.

The country has fought a war on terror with a long history and there was a need to protect society, especially the youth from its negative effects.

She said that the shortage of children’s content was a major issue in both the television and film sectors and Pakistani children were forced to watch foreign content.

The minister said that all the archives of PTV and film would be available on Pakflix and people sitting outside Pakistan would also benefit from it.

She said that the film was an important means of promoting tourism and the primary objective of the PTV Film Division was to promote tourism.